Erin's Journals

Just a thought… If we were meant to stay in one place, we’d have roots instead of feet. [Rachel Wolchin]

Hello from Cathedral City, California. I thought I’d share with you some notes from the road, as Rob and I arrived safely Saturday at my escape for three months (and his for one month) right here in California. Yes, Dottie and Livi are here with us and travelled beautifully, from riding together in a crate to sleeping peacefully with us on our hotel/motel beds wherever we stayed.

On Wednesday, we were up before the birds to catch a ferry out of downtown Victoria. But that early morning walk afforded me a serene view: a heron all hunched up against the cold winds, watching for his breakfast from atop a pillar.

Getting to the ferry with lots of time to spare paid off (or was it blind luck?) as we managed to be the first off the boat when it arrived in Washington State. I mean, this is as good as it gets!

The dogs were allowed on deck and got plenty of pats and smiles. Dottie shook most of the way but we didn’t dare bring her CBD drops; our friend Nancy was practically strip-searched when she very honestly told Customs upon returning to Canada from Portugal that she had doctor-prescribed pain meds that contained CBD. (Suffice it to say she has fired off letters to no fewer than three levels of bureaucrats to find out just what the dang rules actually ARE. So be careful! Lisa Brandt and I will tell more in an upcoming episode of our Gracefully and Frankly podcast).

Where was I? Oh, yes, Washington State. Our six-hour drive from the ferry dock in Port Angeles to our destination of Salem, Oregon included a one-hour stop to charge the car so that when we arrived exhausted at our hotel we wouldn’t have to spend another who-knows-how-long charging the car. It’s all working out; charging to 80% for that hour cost us $14 USD. (The speed at which you choose to charge is reflected in the cost: higher speed, higher price. One charge on the trip cost us $54 US.)

The dogs rode along calmly in their crate (they like to share one), we listened to all kinds of podcasts from round tables and interviews to historic retellings, and as the sun set, we were afforded a view like this one dramatic one in Oregon.

Thursday’s travels were smooth under blue skies that afforded us incredible views like this of Mount Shasta…

…and the smaller, but closer Shastina.

Traffic was wonderfully light as folks celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday, and although finding a bathroom in the town of Grants Pass (no apostrophe – they dropped it long ago) was a challenge, I lucked into finding a friendly 7/11 cashier who read my desperation and, as I found out in our chat, happened to live in Toronto years before moving to California, then Oregon.

Friday, we departed for our final hotel stay in Lebec, near Redding, California. The day’s drive was much more boring; our longest ride’s highlight was a stop for an outdoor lunch, dogs at our feet, while the car charged. Avoiding shopping malls and Black Friday mayhem, I actually walked into a Target to use the bathroom and bought nothing (applaud here, please. LOL).

I’ve already strained your eyes enough for today, so I’ll sign off. We’ve settled into the older house we’re renting, as we try to figure out the heating system for the pool, for which we’ve purchased a solar blanket to stretch our beleaguered buck, and how to get the house’s EV charger working. The owners had it installed but had never used it, so it’s up to us to figure it out.

Today, Rob and I, along with another couple down here, are going to see Wicked at last. It’s either going to destroy or elate me – or both – but seeing this show that was a family favourite when we were three is something I just can’t wait to do.

Back with you this week with a new Not a Mourning Person and, of course, episode 103 of Gracefully and Frankly. Talk again soon!

Just a thought… Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up. [Dean Karnazes]

Once again, I’m running away…or, as my therapist (and some wise women like my Gracefully and Frankly podcast partner Lisa Brandt) would say, running to.

In two days, Rob, Dottie, Livi and I will be packed up and headed to the ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles, Washington, as we make our way during a leisurely three-and-a-half day drive to the Palm Springs area home we’ve rented in Cathedral City, California.

This trip comes with a lot of preparation, anticipation and even some trepidation. We thought, had the election turned out differently, that we might be driving through some version of January 6 2.0. That isn’t happening, but I’ll make a point of keeping my mouth shut and not wearing my Kamala cat t-shirt and provoking anyone. Not my country.

This is our first trip across the border with the dogs and we’ve got all of their shots/records/government forms filled out so that we’re able to enter the US with our fur babies and no fur flying.

We’ve paid extra for pet- and budget-friendly accommodations (where, in some cases, the pet fees were so exorbitant that we ended up finding other options) and are also going to have to tailor our drives daily to find charging stations for our 100% electric vehicle. Rob’s going to task me with using an app to find stations that are fast-charge and available. Our first day’s drive (and ferry ride) should be done without a charge stop (barring huge traffic jams); I don’t like our chances of finding a charger that’s available on the day before US Thanksgiving. That is, without a few hours’ waiting.

We’ll see. As in all things, we’ll try to be patient, and I’ve downloaded dozens of podcast episodes (mostly about innovations or world history) to keep us company while we travel. The forecast for the trip through Washington State, Oregon and into California looks really good. We’re lucky we weren’t travelling last week when the bomb cyclone and atmospheric river hit Vancouver Island, parts of the BC mainland and the Pacific Northwest of the US.

Rob stays with me until Boxing Day and then flies home for two months of hockey (playing and watching!). With any kind of luck, the sale and final move-out from our house will also happen during that time. How lucky would I be to miss all that?

After our non-Holiday season this year, a few friends (including Lisa) will be coming to visit in 2025. I’m most looking forward to reading, meditating, recording both G&F and new Drift with Erin sleep stories in the Airstream trailer in the house’s yard, and just taking time for me. I’m also hoping to get some new video podcast work underway, now that one of our main projects for the Canadian Real Estate Association is coming to an end after a five-year partnership. I know we can do it; it’s just finding that joyful work that pays.

Running to, and not from. But I’ll be here with you throughout; I’ll share different scenery with you than the usual oceanscapes, and through it all, I’ll thank you for the time you spend with me.

My public Facebook page: @erindavispage

Not a Mourning Person grief briefs on YouTube: therealerindavis

Gracefully and Frankly FB page: @gracefullyandfrankly

Find me on threads.net: @erindawndavis

On bluesky.app: @erindavis

Just a thought… Early to bed, Early to Rise, Work Like Hell and Advertise. [Ted Turner]

Well, my friend, it’s been a long two weeks. If, like me, you’re trying to focus on anything other than the chaos happening beyond our border, you might have asked yourself, as I did, “What can I control?”

To that end, I have some things to pass along to you today of a social media matter. Now I know you might say, “No thanks – that’s not my scene…” and I both respect and, in some ways, admire that. But my life has meant staying connected in all ways possible: I’m not on the radio anymore and, with two podcasts on which I rely for a bit of income, I (and Lisa) have to promote them as easily and as widely as possible to get word out.

First of all, if you were on Twitter/X with me, that account is now deactivated. So is Lisa’s. It hurt, but the sooner I could help pull the plug on Elon’s disastrous social media implosion the better. Even author Stephen King has left his multi-million X followers behind, calling it “too dark.” I mean when Stephen King calls something “dark,” well…you get it.

So let me tell you about two other, much brighter options.

Threads has been around for a while and is run by Meta (Facebook). I’m there with the name @erindawndavis and welcome you. You can find me here. Many came over when I posted on my Facebook page last week about the shift and I thank you.

The second, Bluesky, is newer but has exploded since the US election and people wanted to distance themselves from you-know-who.

It’s (for now) a very civilized place called Bluesky (pronounced, not blew-ski, but blue sky LOL) and I’m there now, too. It may well be the fastest-growing social media app out there. X has fallen off, as people like me, who worked for 15 years to build 31,000+ followers in my community, say good-bye to the toxicity.

You can find Bluesky here and, once you sign up and sign in, I’m at @erindavis.bsky.social. Our Gracefully and Frankly podcast is there now, too: @GandFpodcast.bsky.social. 

Lisa and I welcome your interaction there. Lisa’s there as well with the handle @lisabrandt.bsky.social

I know, I know, it’s a LOT. I mean, try it from OUR end lol! We’re setting things up and navigating through a whole ton of headaches, but we know it’ll be worth it in the long run. If I could, this kind of sums up what each site is:

X/Twitter: toxic masculinity, despicably mean comments at times, and few guardrails to prevent misinformation and lies. Think of it as similar to Truth Social (with which it will likely merge, in my opinion, now that Elon got what he wanted with a -rump win) but with slightly less orange makeup. Accounts like mine are closing by the millions, but some of those bad actors have moved to other platforms like….

Threads: more feminine energy. More kind, with a community that moves faster to block the trolls and miscreants, and a place for sharing and honesty. It’s friendlier and fairly user-friendly. Enjoy it before Zuckerberg adds ads in the new year. Ugh. And BLOCK every troll who shows up. We’re all doing our part.

Bluesky: newer and with a few bugs to be ironed out – including no edit button, which is Threads’ biggest asset for those of us who won’t pay on X – but worth the effort to sign up. It’s gentler and much more inclusive and, again, kinder, so it’s there for you if you choose to sign in. It was started by Twitter founder Jack Dorsey five years ago, but he’s now off the board and the site has grown exponentially in the last two weeks. In fact, on Thursday of last week, it went down briefly under the weight of everyone trying to sign up! LISA, I BLAME YOU! It’s the #1 social media site in North America, far surpassing all others.

Look, again I’ll say, if you’re fed up with this and actually have a life, I say “yay for you!” and understand. Please understand that in all of my freelance life, getting the message out there for G&F and Drift, as well as positive and hopefully humorous comments, is the most important thing right now. That’s why I’m jumping through the hoops, and off the sinking ships, to try to spread the word of things like our new GF Boutique (T-shirts, pendants, and more planned in future) for our podcast, and so on.

Someone wrote and said she doesn’t want to miss out. Will I post the same stuff as on Facebook? To be honest, I post more frequently on Threads and Bluesky, as they’re places for more conversation, and I don’t want to clog your Facebook feed.

I’ll continue blogging here weekly on my own website, of course, and I thank you for being here today and always.

Just a thought… If ye break faith with us who die, we shall not sleep though poppies grow in Flanders fields. [John McCrae]

As Rob and I have walked the small Pleasantville streets of Sidney, BC the past week, we have both noticed and commented on the proliferation of poppies on people’s lapels. And not just in our age range or skin tones.

Don’t believe the hate that spreads on the internet at this time of year about “those people” who don’t wear them. Sometimes our poppies fall off our lapels; sometimes they’re at home. Just be kind and wear your own is our motto.

On a beautiful large lawn near our home overlooking the ocean there is a display that we almost literally stumbled upon during a dark dog walk the other night. Here’s what we saw.

Around the country today, Canadians of all ages will take a moment – or hopefully more – to remember the sacrifices of the men and women who have fought on the side of righteousness; who have given their sanity, their body parts, years of service and, in many cases, their lives to serve Canada.

And it warmed Rob’s and my heart to see a story on our local news that you might have read or watched last week about an app, founded by a Canadian vet, that has mapped out gravesites from across the planet to share the stories of thousands of fallen soldiers. For it is in this telling, in bringing these brave men and women back to life, that we are reminded of the happiness they felt (the founder’s grandfather died in a mine blast after visiting his brother posted in nearby Normandy). Just as in the words of John McCrae, who “lived, felt dawn, saw sunset’s glow – loved and were loved….”

Here’s a link to the story on CBC if you haven’t already seen it.

To Ryan Mullens: you deserve the Order of Canada. You have found a modern way to remember old-fashioned love of country, bravery, and dedication to the fight against fascism.

For many today, tears will fall, not just in memory of horrors past, but in despair for what is to come. “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it,” George Santayana said. Today we do remember history.

After today, it remains up to us to support the side of righteousness and remember that, as Edmund Burke said, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men [and women] to do nothing.”

We remember. And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts today – and always.

Just a thought… There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow. [Orison Swett Marden]

Whew. One more day until the world finds out what’s happening south of our borders. Maybe you’re reading this from the US; I hope things go smoothly and we’re done with the drama-la for a while. Of course, the best way to predict the future is to look at the past, so if Kamala does indeed prevail, it’s quite likely that the loser will reject the voters’ voices and drag out the answers we’re all awaiting. So on we go.

Lisa Brandt and I, who did a Facebook Live on Friday that is an hour of fun, laughs and even a bit of deeper discussion, will do a fresh 24-hour turnaround for this Thursday’s Episode 99. We hope you’ll join us. In the meantime, I’ll share a link from our third FB Live event at the end of today’s blog!

I write today’s journal with a few specific people in mind. Their names are Grace, Carol and Colleen, and I’m sure so many more people here today share their situation in missing their spouse terribly. But perhaps they, too, remember when a respite from their Significant Other was a welcome thing. No doubt there will come a day when I, too, long for the 24/7 togetherness. But for now, a few thoughts on a welcome week of separation.

Rob and I are joined at the hip. Except for when he plays hockey, every endeavour, whether work (except for my writing and for recording and editing Drift and Gracefully & Frankly) or recreational, is shared.

So when we’re apart, I take the time to appreciate it. Do I miss him? Of course! Especially when something important that he would usually handle falls through the cracks. One such major issue just about had me missing a flight on Saturday – a story I’ll share Thursday with Lisa and you on Episode 99. But Lisa helped me in immeasurable ways as I showed up to shine emceeing the Excellence Canada awards at the Delta Hotel Convention Centre in Toronto a week ago today.

She even took a picture of me on the ballroom’s big screen!

We had a chance to meet two of our heroes: Kim Renton and Kathy Keefe, the co-founders and superwomen behind enVyPillow. After years of their sponsoring Drift and then G&F, Lisa and I finally got to meet them and they were as delightful in person as we knew they would be. They were there to be interviewed as part of the Entrepreneur Excellence portion of the day.

Spending four days at Lisa and Derek’s home in lovely Port Stanley, a tad sleepier than it is during its summer touristy months, was wonderful. From dining out to staying in, buying my favourite Liverpool jeans at a local ladies’ wear store in town and getting a gentle facial, to just spending hours talking (and later planning and doing that Facebook Live), it was so soul-quenching that neither of us could believe how slowly our time together went. Isn’t it always that way with best friends?

Rob and I would check in via text, while – when not playing hockey four times last week – he spent hours each day settling in to the condo, setting up shelves, rearranging and even purging all but one small box of Christmas mementoes (more on that in a future blog). He and I FaceTimed while we watched the fifth and then final innings of the Dodgers’ World Series winning game, and would collaborate on our favourite word game until we triumphed. That’s how we stayed connected. Every call, every text ended with more “I Love You’s” than we usually say in a day. Absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder, and that’s why time apart – we think – is essential in keeping the spark lit after 38 years this month (our “first date” anniversary).

But it was the homecoming that was sweetest. Not the dreaded job of unpacking the suitcase, which Porter thankfully sent along with me (they have yet to let me down!), but the welcome at Victoria’s small and sweet airport.

Rob met me with lovely flowers and two very happy little dogs.

And I couldn’t resist a chance to let them show their affection. I mean, airport arrivals are full of happy reunions, but how many lickings do you get to experience?

May we feel this joy all week. Don’t miss this Thursday’s Episode 99 of G&F and here’s that live hour from last Friday. I hope you enjoy watching as much as we did doing it for you.

In the meantime, Keep Kamala and Carry On-a-La.